Would you let your child ride like this?

Cinazu · Nov 1, 2013

My daughter's pre-k class recently took a field trip about an hour away. Her class had parent drivers, so I installed her car seat into another mom's van. However, the other class took "the small shuttle bus with lap seat belts owned by XXX Church, so booster/car seats are not needed" (quoted from the email that went out).

I haven't actually been on the bus, and don't know about bus safety, but my first instinct was there no way would I let my four-year old ride with just a lap belt (and likely not my 6 year old, either). Is this as unsafe as I think, or am I missing something? Hopefully it won't come up and we will just keep using parent drivers, but I'd like to know what my response would be if this comes up in her class. Could I install a harnessed seat on the bus with just a lap belt? Would a booster be okay if it actually had lap/shoulder belts? Or do I not let her go on a bus at all and either drive her myself or keep her home?

Thanks!

trippsmom · Nov 1, 2013

Absolutely not.

My MDO program (I am the assistant director) uses an older bus owned by the Church. It has only lap belts. Booster seats cannot be used with just lap belts. Children under 6y/60# must be in restraints by law here unless on board an actual school bus. I provide harnessed restraints for any child who does not have one on their own.

Last field trip I provided all nine children with restraints. All properly tethered to the belts in the row behind. So there were children on every other row.

Cinazu · Nov 1, 2013

OK, that's what I was thinking. So if it really just has lap belts, I could install her harnessed seat? And tether it to what?

If it actually has lap/shoulder belts, would a booster be okay? Though the law is 4 yo/40 lbs. here, so she is actually smaller than that, so I'd probably just install her seat then, too.

How do I even figure out if it's legal for them to be driving them around like this? I doubt other parents even care, as most of the kids ride in LBBs for the field trips, but I'm willing to be "that mom" when it comes to my kids in cars.

Would you let an older child ride in one with lap belts? Or never just a lap belt? All of our cars have lap/shoulder in every seating position, so it's never come up for us before. I don't think there are parents in either of my kid's classes with a CDL, so it might not be an issue, but I'd like to be prepared for all the scenarios before I'm faced with a quick decision, as sometimes the field trips are not announced with more than a few days notice.

Thanks for your help.

trippsmom · Nov 1, 2013

Cinazu said:
OK, that's what I was thinking.

Q:So if it really just has lap belts, I could install her harnessed seat? And tether it to what?

A: Install it with the lap belt (do you know how the belts lock? Lap with tail like airplane or at the retractor. Or at all?)

Tether to seatbelt behind seat. There are two methods, either to the male end or buckle the belt and attach tether to actual webbing.

Q: If it actually has lap/shoulder belts, would a booster be okay? Though the law is 4 yo/40 lbs. here, so she is actually smaller than that, so I'd probably just install her seat then, too.

A: Booster would be fine with lap and shoulder as long as proper fit can be achieved.

Q: How do I even figure out if it's legal for them to be driving them around like this? I doubt other parents even care, as most of the kids ride in LBBs for the field trips, but I'm willing to be "that mom" when it comes to my kids in cars.

A: Look up the law for your state. What state? I'm not fabulous at that and I'm on my phone now anyway. Another person may come along to help you with that.

Q: Would you let an older child ride in one with lap belts? Or never just a lap belt? All of our cars have lap/shoulder in every seating position, so it's never come up for us before. I don't think there are parents in either of my kid's classes with a CDL, so it might not be an issue, but I'd like to be prepared for all the scenarios before I'm faced with a quick decision, as sometimes the field trips are not announced with more than a few days notice.

A: Lap belt is not good for anyone. I have the driver be the only adult on the bus with all chaperones in a vehicle following it so all have upper-body restraints. I had to ride the bus on this last trip and I made sure I was not on the front row with metal in front of me.

Thanks for your help.

Anytime.

I answered inside the quote. Hope it helps.

You can always remind the director that they are liable during transport and it is in their best interest to observe best practice.

Highland · Nov 2, 2013

Without seeing the "shuttle" bus, I have to assume it is probably about the size of an econoline van. Unfortunately, it isn't large enough to benefit from mass and compartmentalization. Given those conditions, I wouldn't be confident letting either of my children to be transported in that kind of "bus." That discomfort would have to be balanced against the trust I have in the other "parent" drivers and their vehicles. Even a properly mounted child seat won't be effective if the harness belts are loose. I suppose, it might come down to whether I could volunteer to be a driver to ensure that my child is transported on the field trip as safely as possible.

Cinazu · Nov 2, 2013

Thank you so much! The bus seems a little bigger than an econoline, it's like a big airport shuttle bus. But at this point, unless it's different on the inside than I'm thinking, it's either figure out how to install her seat on the bus, or drive myself. I usually try to be a driver, but occasionally I can't find childcare for the baby so I can't go. In those cases I install her seat myself and have the harness set so that once it's buckled it doesn't need to be tightened at all, and I make sure the parent who is driving knows she just needs to be bucked in but the straps don't need adjusting.

We live in MO. From some cursory research, it seems that the definition of school bus is broad enough that it includes any big vehicle used in transporting kids, which then exempts it from the standard car seat rules (which I actually think are pretty good - harness required until 4 yo AND 40 lbs, and I'm not sure about the booster rules because my 6 yo has barely entered booster territory).

Their school goes through 6th grade. So suppose when one of my kids is in something like 5th grade, possibly out of a booster, and this comes up. Would you still not let her ride? What about on a regular school/activity bus? I know they use those for field day. Is that safe? All these things I've never thought of before because they have always ridden with me or my parents, and I install the seats in my parents' car.

Patriot201 · Nov 2, 2013

I wouldn't allow my child to ride in a lap-only belt at any age; lapbelts are not safe for any age from child to adult. They are GREAT for installing carseats, and possibly for restraining dogs in their seatbelts, but are not appropriate for restraint of people.

trippsmom · Nov 2, 2013

Sounds like our bus. Here it is almost ready for the last trip. Two seats are not installed and a couple of tethers were over tightened (she thought she was helping.

)

trippsmom · Nov 2, 2013

Cinazu said:
Their school goes through 6th grade. So suppose when one of my kids is in something like 5th grade, possibly out of a booster, and this comes up. Would you still not let her ride? What about on a regular school/activity bus? I know they use those for field day. Is that safe? All these things I've never thought of before because they have always ridden with me or my parents, and I install the seats in my parents' car.

No. I would not let my older shield ride on a bus with lap belts only. Absolutely not. I like their organs and spine just the way they are, whole.

A regular bus, like big yellow school bus? Absolutely. Compartmentalization is in play in a regular school bus (as long as it is not super old). Compartmentalization works like an egg carton. Set back height and depth between seats and flex in the seats, etc., all work together to keep children safe.

Cinazu · Nov 3, 2013

Thanks so much for your input and help! Unless they are on a regular (big yellow) school bus, I will make sure I can install a seat or booster depending on the seat belts present, and in the meantime just hope that our classes continue to use parent drivers!

One last question - would a shorter regular school bus also be safe because of compartmentalization, etc? I think they sometimes use those, too (mainly just for field day, which is one day a year).

Would you let your child ride like this?

Cinazu

New member

trippsmom

CPST Instructor

Cinazu

New member

trippsmom

CPST Instructor

Highland

New member

Cinazu

New member

Patriot201

Car-Seat.org Ambassador

trippsmom

CPST Instructor

trippsmom

CPST Instructor

Cinazu

New member

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Sponsors

Forum statistics